I'm late for the funeral! Ran across this article yesterday when searching for something totally unrelated, but it speaks so much truth, I couldn't dismiss it. Back in September of last year, utility rag Fortnightly ran an article headlined, "The Rise and Fall of Big Transmission: The alternatives may make more sense." Author Steve Huntoon chronicles the big transmission building phase that was created by Congressional action to provide incredible financial incentives for Big Transmission. In the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Congress tasked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission with creating a system to award incentives to transmission builders, such as double digit returns, the ability to collect project costs in rates during construction, guaranteed recovery in the event a Big Transmission project was abandoned, and many more (I'm not going to list them all here because only utility rate geeks would understand them all without lengthy explanation). Creating incentives to build more transmission was a Congressional knee-jerk to the 2003 northeast blackout. Nevermind that a complicated, expansive transmission system was to blame for the blackout, industry lobbyists spun the blackout its clients created through mismanagement into a huge financial windfall. And the Big Transmission building boom began.

Huntoon walks the reader through the bad ideas that sprang from utility greed, analyzes why many of them failed, and applies his analysis to the remaining Big Transmission bad ideas to demonstrate why they, too, must fail.

And he does it in an entertaining and easily understood fashion. Big Transmission becomes a proper noun, a name for an entity that took on a life of its own for a brief period in utility history. But, in the end, Big Transmission had to die.

The author explains six points that make Big Transmission fail:

Big Transmission never did and never will make sense. Let’s look at a half-dozen reasons why: 1) the laws of physics, 2) higher reliability risk, 3) stricter contingency limits, 4) lumpiness and investment risk, 5) rigidity of source and sink, and 6) better alternatives.

Concise explanation of each point is in the article, so I won't belabor them here.

But the purist in me simply can't overlook a couple of glaring errors. First, the Figure 2 national transmission overlay map is mislabeled. Existing and New 765kV transmission have their colors reversed. The Existing 765 system is red on the map, and the New 765 system is green (the legend in the upper right is incorrect). It makes a great, big difference when studying the map to figure out which lines are new Big Transmission and which lines are incremental existing builds. Second, the author places the PATH project on the wrong line in the Figure 1 Project Mountaineer Map. He says, "PATH was essentially the western half of the #2 project in the overall Project Mountaineer plan." No, PATH was the western half of the #3 project in the Project Mountaineer map. PJM's original Project Mountaineer called for a Big Transmission line from the John Amos power station to the Deans substation in New Jersey. PJM combined several proposals into the Frankenstein monster that became PATH, and then cut it off at Kemptown, with plans to build a separate Big Transmission project from Kemptown to Deans at a later date.

But, other than those two mapping boo-boos, the article gets the demise of the PATH project exactly right. The demise of PATH has been wrongly portrayed by many people, with claims covering everything from reduced demand to coal plant retirements. In his note 29, the author correctly notes that the demise of PATH was a combination of factors:

It is difficult to apportion the demise of PATH among reduced load growth, the Mt. Storm-Doubs alternative, new generation, and sophisticated statelevel opposition. However, it is fair to observe that reduced load growth had only postponed PATH in the past (three times). What was different in 2010 was the emergence of the Mt. Storm-Doubs alternative, and the focus of a state regulator on that alternative.

That's right... every factor, except Mt. Storm-Doubs, simply delayed the PATH project. Mt. Storm-Doubs, and the "sophisticated statelevel opposition's" overwhelming support of this alternative to change the political climate supporting the PATH project, is what killed PATH. Better, cheaper alternative that the people support? It's the winning PATH of least resistance!

The realities of the "need" for PATH, and its opposition, merely delayed the project long enough for Dominion Virginia Power to step onto the stage with its proposed rebuild. But even that wasn't simply about a better idea... the Mt. Storm Doubs line's existing towers were built out of a certain kind of steel that had not stood the test of time. The tower bases were deteriorating and patchwork fixes were no longer effective. The towers needed to be replaced before they started falling down. And while they were replacing the towers, everything else got an upgrade that increased the line's thermal capacity 65% (allowing it to carry more power). Dominion smartly took advantage of the PATH debacle to get its line rebuilt with minimal opposition, and even the outright support of affected landowners.

Would this situation repeat itself to kill other Big Transmission proposals? Probably not. But it does support the idea that incremental transmission projects and rebuilds are much easier to build than Big Transmission. So, why does the utility industry continue to propose and/or support Big Transmission? Because it comes with Big Profits and they're willing to risk protracted planning and permitting processes in order to increase their profits. It's not about building reliability, economic benefits for consumers, or even "cleaner" power... and all the risk of Big Transmission ends up on the backs of consumers. What's not to like for them? The facts in this article -- Big Transmission must fail.

There's even some hard truth about the last of the Big Transmission projects that have yet to realize they're dead. Clean Line Energy came up with its idea to build thousands of miles of Big Transmission to ship renewables from coast to coast in 2009, when Big Transmission was in its heyday. But, unlike utility proposals where risk and cost is shouldered by ratepayers, Clean Line has spent millions of dollars of private investment cash to keep its idea alive. Once Clean Line gives up, its investors lose everything. There is no federal guarantee to recover sunk costs on speculative, market based Big Transmission. And Clean Line, itself, will die along with its projects, and its executives currently living high on the hog of private investor cash, will be in the unemployment line. This is what keeps Clean Line on life support long after it's been pronounced brain dead. And here's why Clean Line will never happen:

But certainly when Big Transmission is dependent upon market conditions the lumpiness and risk factors are all the more daunting. Big Transmission somehow needs to bring together generation resources and market demand – to the exclusion of alternatives – to forge a level of commitment that will last for many years. That’s a prerequisite for financing. So the entities at each end need to perceive such a compelling business proposition that they will forego other alternatives and cast their fate with Big Transmission. That’s a tough sell.

FERC requires that utilities interconnect all new generation. So a new generator is assured of being able to interconnect its project to the utility serving the territory it is located in; the issue is solely how much money and time it will take for the interconnection. Given this legally assured ability to access the grid through the resident utility, market-based Big Transmission is effectively competing with that utility and thus must offer substantial value added.

And there is no value added by a Clean Line. Clean Line stupidly demonstrated just this point to the City of Hannibal, Missouri, earlier this year with its chart of wind options for the city. The Clean Line prepared (and tweaked) chart showed that wind delivered over the existing incremental transmission system was just as cheap as wind delivered over a "clean" line.

Why would any company buy capacity from a risky new transmission line when existing lines are just as cheap? This probably explains why Clean Line has no customers. And without customers, Clean Line's Big Transmission will also fail.

What's been happening in transmission news this week? The Virginian Pilot took a look at Dominion's Skiffes Creek 500kV transmission project... and it sort of looks like the project itself is up the creek. Dominion has lots of excuses for why it needs to build a ginormous transmission line across the James River, but none of them are exactly logical. Skiffes Creek is not really the only option to ensure reliability, it's just the one that regional grid planner PJM Interconnection approved a long time ago in an uncompetitive environment. If the transmission project is not approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, then PJM will have to go back to the drawing board and re-engineer another solution to what it views as a reliability problem.Gotta wonder... if this problem was put out for bid in PJM's new competitive transmission process, would other companies have better solutions? Solutions that solve the problem without creating an eyesore and river hazard of an aerial crossing of the James River? Probably.

Dominion contends that the technology doesn't exist to run a reliable line of the caliber and kind needed under 4 miles of riverbed - at least not without a price tag in the billions.

Oh, baloney, Dominion! Take a look at the Artificial Island project that is proposed to cross underneath the Delaware River just a couple states to the North. When transmission solutions are evaluated in a competitive environment, a submarine crossing suddenly becomes viable, not only from a cost standpoint, but also with an eye toward "constructability," a measure of the ease of getting a project approved and constructed with minimal opposition. In the case of the Artificial Island project, PJM ultimately selected a proposal by LS Power that uses a 3.5 mile submarine crossing of the river in which the company capped its construction costs. Dominion needs to re-evaluate its submarine options.The Skiffes Creek project is a cash cow for incumbent utility Dominion. Under PJM's old, pre FERC Order No. 1000 transmission project selection process, the incumbent was allowed to propose all solutions. The incumbent could propose only those solutions that would provide a healthy shot to its balance sheet. FERC recognized that this process didn't necessarily inspire the best and cheapest solutions and has revolutionized the way regional grid planners select new transmission projects.Dominion tries to hide behind an aura of concern for ratepayer issues.

Curtis said the Skiffes over-the-river plan, at $60 million, is indeed on the lower cost end of the dozens of routes and options the company considered. Whatever the expense, though, customers will reimburse Dominion. Rate hikes are automatically allowed for utilities that build infrastructure to strengthen the grid.

"So these are rate-payer dollars, not Dominion dollars," Curtis said. "But the opposition is still committed to the conspiracy theory."

Curtis tells only part of the truth here. The part he leaves out is that Dominion will be earning a double-digit return on its $60M investment in the project over its useful life of approximately 40 years. The more the project costs, the more Dominion makes in pure profit. Dominion is hardly agnostic about ratepayer costs. Also, if Dominion had to compete to build this reliability solution, it would face giving up this potential profit entirely to another company with a cheaper, less intrusive proposal. There IS a conspiracy... because the investment is Dominion's dollars, not ratepayer dollars. And Dominion earns a healthy return on every dollar it invests in this project.So, are there other solutions? Opponents accuse Dominion of not examining and considering all options.

"What's frustrating is that people think we're being disingenuous," Curtis said. "They don't believe we've looked at all the alternatives, or they think we're only concerned about making the most money for our shareholders."

The article reveals

Several lines already feed outside power to the Peninsula, but it won't be enough without the Yorktown plant, which Dominion says is too costly to upgrade in the face of new federal clean-air standards.

Did Dominion consider upgrading and rebuilding the existing lines to increase capacity before settling on an entirely new transmission line? C'mon, Dominion, you're no stranger to this plan... after all, your plan to rebuild the 500kV Mt. Storm-Doubs transmission line to increase its capacity is what killed the entirely new 300-mile PATH transmission line. Or are much cheaper rebuilds only considered when Dominion finds itself in a competitive environment?How much time and money will Dominion's effort to keep itself from being propelled "up the creek" with Skiffes Creek cost ratepayers? Dominion's blind pursuit of this project in the face of better alternatives is what may cause "rolling blackouts" on the peninsula. The longer Dominion delays by backing a lame horse, the closer the peninsula gets to a genuine reliability issue. Get with it, Dominion, and switch to a solution that everyone can agree upon. Don't you have a legal obligation to keep the lights on? Or only one to increase shareholder dividends every quarter?

Check out the collision of ideas in a recent edition of the Energy Law Journal. Oh, it's really not as boring as it sounds, but the authors sure do know how to belabor a point. You'd think they were being paid by the word...First, take a look at DOES DISRUPTIVE COMPETITION MEAN A DEATH SPIRAL FOR ELECTRIC UTILITIES? by Elisabeth Graffy and Steven Kihm. It's one more take on the idea that how we produce and use energy is moving on, and utilities that don't get ahead of the curve by offering products that consumers want are going to end up like streetcars, land line phones, and beanie babies.Traditional utility response to the proliferation of widely distributed rooftop solar has thus far been limited to attempts to lock in a future revenue stream to pay for what may become a stranded investment in centralized generation and transmission. Early efforts in this regard have been soundly rebuffed, not only by the owners of these small-scale generators, but regulators as well.

Strenuous efforts to mitigate rather than innovate seem likely to increase vulnerabilities by generating public and customer backlash, motivating market competitors, and instigating potential legal challenges.

The article compares and contrasts the responses of two companies facing innovation/technology challenges in their respective industries. It examines how the cable TV industry remade itself when facing competition from satellite TV companies -- it began offering new products that increased its value to consumers by bundling TV with phone and internet service. In contrast, much is made of the fate of Market Street Railway, a regulated streetcar company whose response to competition from buses and automobiles was to increase rates to cover its costs while relying on regulation to maintain its monopoly.

This story has significant implications for electric utilities facing increasing and especially disruptive competition that may shift their risk position from the zone in which regulation is effective to one in which it is not. That Market Street responded to disruptive competition by simply requesting rate increases from its regulator reveals denial that their economic woes were due to fundamentally changed circumstances that required new organizational strategy, not just regulatory intervention. Market Street, while fully understanding the existence of threats to its viability, showed no real signs of innovation or adaptation in this regard, but rather continued a reliance on conventional cost-accounting-based utility ratemaking practices to the bitter end.

And that's exactly what utilities seem hell bent on doing in the other ELJ article, REGULATORY FEDERALISM AND DEVELOPMENT OF ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION: A BREWING STORM?This article, by James Hoecker, advisor to WIRES, the "Voice of the Electric Transmission Industry!!!" wanders on for 29 pages of transmission building advocacy. Build, build, build! It doesn't seem to matter whether there will be any consumers left to pay for it all, as long as the federal government takes control of electric transmission permitting and siting today by "collaborating" with states in order to usurp their authority. It even goes so far as to push the CSG's interstate siting compact bad idea.So, what will it be? Transmission or innovation?Building more traditional transmission using eminent domain to acquire new rights of way will NOT work. The public has had enough! Transmission opposition has become increasingly sophisticated and its methods are becoming more effective at cancelling and delaying most new proposals. This pitched battle has both sides spinning its wheels, but delay is the opposition's friend. And the more the industry nibbles away at state authority, the closer it pushes state regulators toward permit denial.Does this mean that we can stop building transmission altogether? No, but we can stop building transmission stupidly. Smart transmission uses existing rights of way to rebuild existing lines to increase their capacity. In some instances, the public actually welcomes a responsibly managed rebuild, especially when presented as an alternative to new transmission. In other instances, the public welcomes smartly designed new transmission projects, like Atlantic Grid's New Jersey Energy Link. This project is buried for its entire length, avoiding the expense and time delays of opposition to traditional overhead transmission projects. But perhaps its best selling feature is that it is designed to be useful long into the future -- moving conventionally generated power to markets that need it today, but also there to move offshore wind to load as it is developed. If only they get rid of that insulting "NIMBY" word...But old habits die hard for the big energy conglomerates, who wish to continue operating their streetcar named De$ire. Instead of creating an exciting and profitable new market for themselves, Ohio's Tweedledum and Tweedledee have hung their hopes (and plopped their "transmission spend") on investing in more transmission. You can lead a company to knowledge, but that doesn't necessarily make it any smarter.Oooooh! Shiny object!

In the end, the electric utility as an institutional form has not exhausted its relevance. Claims that utilities are in a certain death spiral seem premature. However, those predictions seem disturbingly grounded in tacit assumptions that utilities are too hidebound by their past to be able to adapt in a timely or agile way to rapidly changing conditions. If so, utilities will find themselves to be brittle rather than resilient when confronting disruptive competition in a sector that is central to social, economic, security, and environmental necessities and, therefore, cannot remain static. All signs point to the reality that utilities must change. The open question is whether they will change by embracing and, indeed, leading value creation or be changed by others in the market who embrace it first and more firmly.

While Dominion has been doing a great job with directly affected landowners, the company has completely failed to disseminate any information about its project to the greater community. As if folks don't notice the access roads, the helicopters, the construction traffic, the road closures, the implosive splicing... I've gotten mighty tired of having to reassure people that this is not the PATH project, that this is a permitted activity, and that the world is not exploding. But I do it, not for Dominion, but for the people who are the victims of Dominion's "secret" rebuild project.Mt. Storm - Doubs (MSD) is a smarter, better solution than building the PATH project ever was. So, let's get 'er done, fellas, so that I can stop having this distraction sitting on the edge of a rather full plate.The MSD transmission line begins in Mt. Storm, West Virginia and ends at the Doubs substation in Frederick County, Maryland. The 96 miles of the line located in West Virginia and Virginia are owned by Dominion. The last 3 miles of the line in Maryland are owned by FirstEnergy. Each company is responsible for permitting and constructing its own segment of this project. Dominion has been working on its portion of the project for more than 4 years. FirstEnergy only recently got off it's corporate ass to do its part on the last three miles.Well, yay, FirstEnergy! You da man! Fourteen transmission towers and 3 miles of line? Awesome! Put Toad Meyers in a hardhat and push the "on" button. That should ameliorate your billing and meter reading fiasco, right?Wrong.Back in 2010, while the PATH was still madly attempting to get it's 300 mile, 765kV transmission line sited and permitted on new right of way, Dominion dropped a bombshell on transmission planner PJM Interconnection. Dominion proposed several alternatives to the PATH project (which was never actually "needed"). One of the alternatives involved rebuilding MSD because of deteriorating towers. A rebuilt and modernized MSD would increase the thermal capacity of the existing line 66% and make the addition of PATH's capacity unnecessary. Both PJM and PATH partners FirstEnergy and AEP tried to deny the proposal and insist that PATH was still necessary. That was the beginning of the end for PATH. The Virginia SCC got mighty suspicious and ordered PJM to re-run some data on the necessity for PATH if MSD was rebuilt. Low and behold, the data showed that there really wasn't a need for PATH after all and PJM suspended (and later cancelled) the PATH project. PATH withdrew all its project applications and went into hiding, after wasting a quarter billion dollars of consumer funding on the project.Ahhh... good times! :-)Now FirstEnergy says "look at me!" and give me credit for modernizing the electric grid.Kind of makes you wish that someone would drop a load of insulators on Toad's hard hat, doesn't it?Oh, what would I do if I didn't have this little outlet...

Reports of mysterious explosions in the vicinity of Dominion Power's Mt. Storm - Doubs transmission line in Jefferson County, West Virginia, continue to upset local residents.Rumors have begun circulating that Dominion's transmission rebuild project is actually only a front for a different, more sinister company objective recently initiated to help tide Dominion over during this period of ultra-low capacity prices in PJM.The scuttlebutt is that Dominion's blasting is part of a company expedition to locate El Dorado, the mythical "lost city of gold."Community notice before blasting could garner too many nosey neighbors that might try to lay claim to Dominion's hoped-for treasure, therefore, residents should remain in their homes and expect random explosions to continue to rock their world, and clear shelves of fragile items, until PJM's markets recover.

The arrogant energy industry and their paid media pimps continually pretend they know what consumers want. They believe that if they write and publish enough lies that consumers will start to believe them.

Really? This guys bills himself as "editor-in-chief for Energy Central's EnergyBiz Insider. With a background in economics and public policy, I've spent two decades writing about the issues that touch the energy and financial sectors. My EnergyBiz column has twice been named Best Online Column by two different media organizations." However, his NIMBY name calling merely showcases his complete ignorance of the dynamics of current transmission policy debate. Is he really this clueless, or is he merely posturing for the crowd to parrot power company propaganda?

Let's take a look at just a few of the facts Silverstein gets wrong:

1."...the transmission grid is aging and it needs to be updated and expanded so that it can fulfill the needs of consumers — many of whom don’t want those unsightly lines near them."

WRONG! The transmission grid was not designed to wheel energy from coast to coast to fill the pockets of greedy traders. The industry is not spending enough capital "upgrading" for any real need, but has been banging its head against a brick wall attempting to "expand." Let's look at just one example: While PATH was shooting blanks attempting to get its new build project approved, Dominion slipped in and quietly punked AEP/FirstEnergy with the rebuild of an existing line that completely obviated the PATH project.

Consumer issues center on NEED and COST. It's not about NIMBY anymore. How loud do you suppose Silverstein would squeal if someone routed a transmission line through his own backyard? Silverstein loves new transmission... as long as there's no personal sacrifice on his part involved and it's not in his backyard, therefore, Silverstein is the real NIMBY.

2."Inevitably, disputes emerge that typically center on the potential ecological harm that a given line may take. In other instances, the arguments are that the development is occurring in states that will not get the benefit of the added electricity, or that it would increase the usage of coal.

Such was the case when American Electric Power and FirstEnergy Corp. tried to build the so-called Potomac Appalachian Transmission High-Line, which would have stretched 275 miles from West Virginia into Maryland. The PJM Interconnection, which coordinates the transmission planning for the MidAtlantic states, has now withdrawn the project. It has done the same for Pepco Holding’s Mid-Atlantic Power Pathway, although both concepts could get resurrected once the economy is in full swing."

WRONG! PJM cancelled the PATH project because it was not needed, not because of cost allocation, environmental or coal-related issues. The opposition to PATH was ALWAYS based on the fact that the project was not needed.

PATH and MAPP are not going to be "resurrected," and neither is an energy-wasting economy that increases energy demand. Consumers in the PJM region are already on the hook for the quarter billion dollars wasted developing the unneeded PATH project, a project that will never provide consumers with any benefits. None. Zero. PATH and MAPP were part of an industry money-making scheme named Project Mountaineer and were never needed for reliability or market efficiency.

3."While the concerns and the subsequent legal battles are well intended, they oftentimes perpetuate uncertainty. That is, investors are skeptical because they can make more money in alternative investments while the delays impede reliability. And if brownouts or rolling blackouts occur, the financial toll can mount."

WRONG! Brownouts and blackouts? I haven't heard that kind of fear-mongering since PATH got shelved. Get a grip, Silverstein. You and I both know that is NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN. Silverstein goes on about new transmission needed for renewables and then tosses in the blackouts invective? Sorry, but the lights will not go out if renewables can't be transported coast-to-coast.

Investors are salivating at the prospect of plunking their dollars into transmission investments making double-digit returns, despite the industry's "the sky is falling" whining. As well, transmission projects can and do request formula rates and incentives that provide them with a continual return during the development and construction period. There's absolutely no risk to transmission investors. None. Zero.

Maybe Silverstein should do some research before he approaches a keyboard in the future. There's plenty of information to be had on this website. Maybe Silverstein could learn a few things about his topic here? And maybe, just maybe, he might want to consult a consumer before writing more folderol about what they want.

This morning, the Jefferson County Commission decided to send a letter to Dominion Power requesting that the company hold a public information meeting in the county regarding their Mt. Storm - Doubs 500kV transmission rebuild project. The letter will also request that Dominion answer specific questions raised by citizens at today's Commission meeting (that Dominion couldn't be bothered to show up for). Dominion may think that they can continue to ignore the citizens and local government in Jefferson County, but I wouldn't advise that plan of (in)action.

Citizen Robin Huyett Thomas spoke to the Commission during public comment and advised them that certain lenders will not approve financing for homes within the fall zone of transmission towers. There are many homes in Jefferson County that are already affected. However, Dominion's plan to increase the height of its towers by another 30 feet will necessarily affect additional homes.

Keryn Newman spoke to the Commission during a scheduled agenda item on the rebuild and presented the detailed public safety questions posed by citizen Sharon Wilson, who could not be present for the meeting. Sharon is concerned about the public safety aspects of access roads, proximity of the work zone to homes, coordination with local public safety/emergency services, and possible future road closures during construction (remember, Dominion's line crosses both Rt. 340 and Rt. 9, in addition to many other secondary roads).

Keryn also presented her own personal concerns that a design defect in steel lattice transmission towers has been known to the industry for many years, but it appears industry has made no improvements to their design. Commissioner Pellish commented that one of the references in the abstract of a recent engineering study of the design defect that was presented to the Commissioners went all the way back to 1996. Utility engineers have been aware for at least 16 years that transmission towers are subject to failure from downburst wind, but have done nothing to change the design or reinforce their existing towers. The Commission wants to know whether Dominion's new towers are designed to withstand downburst wind. A simple "yes" won't do. Show us.

Lastly, Keryn spoke on behalf of the StopPATH WV, Inc. organization, who supports Dominion's rebuild project. However, public relations is an integral part of any major infrastructure project and Dominion has failed to provide information to the public. Public trust in utilities is at an all-time low in Jefferson County, the legacy of the PATH project that just keeps on giving. Our goal is for the community to be informed about what to expect, where to get relevant updates and information, and for Dominion to develop an ongoing relationship and dialogue with the citizens of Jefferson County, who want to see this project completed quickly, safely and as cost-effectively as possible.

Now the question is -- will Dominion step up here, or will the company continue to pretend that their project only affects those with towers on their property, and that the rest of us haven't noticed or don't care. We have and we do. The ball is in Dominion's court.

Dominion has recently sent a letter to "property owner/resident" with information about the time table for their rebuild. They have also finally updated their website to incorporate the information in the letter. While it's more information than we had before, it doesn't really answer the public's questions about their project.

If you would like to "contact Dominion about its project" you can send an email to a generic email address or call a generic phone number where you and your questions will most likely be ignored, judging from the recent experiences of a concerned citizen.

Dominion doesn't want to answer real questions from real people, such as how the project will affect roadway access and public safety. Or perhaps you have more complicated questions, such as wondering if Dominion's rebuilt towers are designed to withstand downburst winds, or should you expect that one of these towers could end up in your living room during a future thunderstorm?

Dominion doesn't care to develop a positive relationship with the citizens of Jefferson County, or any other county affected by their project. Just get out of their way while they go about their business and if this inconveniences or upsets you or jeopardizes your safety, too bad. Dominion's really no different than PATH after all.

In response to the flood of inquiries and information we've been getting from throughout the county about Dominion's Mt. Storm - Doubs 500kV transmission line rebuild, Patience and I took a little field trip yesterday to see for ourselves.

We came away with the general feeling that on a planning and process level, Dominion isn't doing too badly (yet), but all the careful planning taking place in office buildings in Richmond isn't translating to "boots on the ground" behavior in Jefferson County by Dominion's contractors. For instance, at one work site clearly marked "stay on mats," the only vehicles we saw onsite were parked off the mats! In another example at a different site, a gate with a sign reading, "Keep Gate Closed at All Times" was open and chained to a post, with the closest visible crew at least 1/4 mile away on the other side of the road. Either Dominion's contractors can't read their own signs, or they just don't care. If this is how Dominion's contractors adhere to their own rules here at the beginning of the project, what's to happen in the future when activity speeds up to meet tight deadlines?

One of the things we found most frightening is the proximity of some of these towers (both existing and marked new) to occupied homes, certainly within the fall zone. I'm sure Dominion has a plan to get new towers constructed and old ones demolished safely, but I wouldn't want to be there when it happens if they can't even follow simple instructions to close a gate or stay on a mat.

And the flow of public information from Dominion remains a dry well, and the inquiries from curious folks continue. This demonstrates Dominion's fear of dealing with landowners collectively. They'd much rather keep you isolated and feeling intimidated, powerless and dependent on the company for information. This strategy does not demonstrate respect for landowners.

Dominion contractors showed up on Old Cave Road in Jefferson County today to begin work on a portion of the Mt. Storm - Doubs rebuild project, and immediately got down to business annoying residents and tearing up Willingham Knolls Park.

This is what that stretch of right-of-way looked like before Dominion showed up.

We'll be watching to see how it changes. A conclusion that shows Dominion's respect for the landowners wouldn't see much change at all.

However, this is what happened when Dominion's contractors began cutting an access road:

Dominion's disrespectful contractors also made themselves at home by parking their unmarked vehicles in the entrance to the subdivision across the street from the work zone and blocking the road and residents' access to mailboxes and a school bus stop. How rude! If Dominion is working on Willingham Knolls Park property, there's a perfectly good gravel parking lot at the park just down the hill and a short walk from the work site. A little exercise would do these fellas good.

Not quite the auspicious beginning you promised us, Dominion. Please show a little more respect for the residents to foster a mutually beneficial working environment. We'll be watching...

About the Author

Keryn Newman blogs here at StopPATH WV about energy issues, transmission policy, misguided regulation, our greedy energy companies and their corporate spin.In 2008, AEP & Allegheny Energy's PATH joint venture used their transmission line routing etch-a-sketch to draw a 765kV line across the street from her house. Oooops! And the rest is history.

AboutStopPATH Blog

StopPATH Blog began as a forum for information and opinion about the PATH transmission project. The PATH project was abandoned in 2012, however, this blog was not.

StopPATH Blog continues to bring you energy policy news and opinion from a consumer's point of view. If it's sometimes snarky and oftentimes irreverent, just remember that the truth isn't pretty. People come here because they want the truth, instead of the usual dreadful lies this industry continues to tell itself. If you keep reading, I'll keep writing.